The present invention relates to the game of golf and provides a golf club shaft support for securing the grip of a spare club above wet grounds so that the grip remains dry during play. The one-piece, shaped, water resistant, rigid or semi-rigid support contains a lead-in entry and cutout positioned opposite an essentially flat base edge. The lead-in entry and cutout may be placed over the shaft of a golf club and the base edge of the support placed on the ground to securely support the golf club grip above the ground.
In addition to the physical requirements of the game of golf, weather conditions also can have an impact on a golfer's performance. Among these conditions are wet fairways, wet roughs and wet greens caused by dew, drizzle, rain, and golf course watering systems. Quite often during a round of golf, a golfer will remove more than one club at a time from the bag or cart and lay the extra club on the ground while playing a stroke with the other club. This event occurs most frequently when golf carts are prohibited from traversing fairways, on hilly terrain and around the greens. When wet conditions are present the extra club's grip will become wet and slippery from lying on the wet ground. A person familiar with the game of golf knows that a stroke made with a wet golf club grip is difficult, if not impossible, to control.
Various devices have been developed to support a golf club shaft above the level of the wet grass in order to keep the grip dry. Such devices generally fall into two categories: 1) devices having a lower portion with one or more prongs or spikes that are inserted into the ground and having an upper portion with an indentation, slot, or other means for engaging the golf club shaft in a position to support the golf club grip above the ground; and 2) devices having a lower portion that sits on the ground and an upper portion with an indentation, hook, or other means for engaging the golf club shaft in a position to support the golf club grip above the ground.
The devices in category 1 have the disadvantage of leaving holes or doing other damage to the golf course, which is particularly undesirable on the putting green. In addition, it may be difficult to penetrate the ground with the device when the ground is very hard. Some of these devices also have long shafts that are inconvenient to carry around on the golf course and are best suited for use on the driving range.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,046 to Pace is an example of the golf club supports in category 1. Pace discloses a golf tool having an upper section containing two curved resilient legs and a bottom section containing two wedge shaped legs that must be driven into the ground for stability. In order to attach the Pace tool to the shaft of a golf club, the shaft is forced against the two resilient legs to spread the legs apart and allow the shaft to enter and be held as the legs retract onto the shaft.. The Pace tool, therefore, may cause damage to the golf course, especially the greens, by penetrating the ground; and also may cause damage to the golf club shaft by forcing the shaft between the legs of the tool and holding the shaft in place by friction.
Another example of the golf club supports in category 1 is U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,647 to Notarmuzi, which also discloses a golf tool having prongs for penetrating the ground and a cutout with a lead-in neck defining a golf club grip stand. Thus, the Notarmuzi device also may cause damage to the golf course, especially to the greens. The cutout of Notarmuzi is adapted to receive the lower end of a golf club shaft, which then may be slipped upward toward the grip of the club. The Notarmuzi golf tool is designed to perform a number of functions in addition to supporting a golf club grip, and is the approximate size of a divot repair tool. Thus the effective vertical height of the golf club shaft support portion of the tool is very small when the prongs are inserted into the ground for stability, and the tool is ineffective as a golf club shaft support in taller grass.
The devices in category 2 do not require penetration of the ground. Some of these devices, however, are designed to remain attached to the golf club. Therefore, the golfer would have to purchase a separate device for nearly every club in the bag. Other devices in this category are rather bulky and are inconvenient to carry except in the golf bag or on the golf cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,847 to Glennon is an example of the golf club supports in category 2. Glennon discloses a small flexible plastic card with dimensions similar to a wallet sized credit card. The flexible card has concave notches formed in the sides for supporting a golf club grip. The flexible card also may have a small hole for receiving an attachment cord and has relatively flat surfaces for receiving printed advertising. The Glennon card support, however, does not secure the golf club shaft, thus making it an extremely unstable system that will collapse from under the golf club at the slightest disturbance. The flexibility of the Glennon card support also adds to the instability of the support system. In use, the golfer must hold the card vertically on an edge on the ground with one hand, while balancing the spare club upon the card with the other hand until finding a position in which the card will support the weight of the club without falling over. Furthermore, the Glennon card's short dimensions make it ineffective as a golf club shaft support in taller grasses.